Westwood company cited by state

The New Jersey Acting Attorney General, in conjunction with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, cited more than two dozen unlicensed moving companies, including one based in Westwood, after an undercover sting operation.

"Operation Mother's Attic," which was led by the Division of Consumer Affairs, took place over a four day period in November 2013 and focused on moving companies that solicited intrastate moves without a state license, according to Acting Attorney General John Hoffman.

E.J. Mayer Transportation Systems, also known as EJ Mayer Moving, of Westwood, was one of 26 companies cited as a result. During the detail, state investigators posed as consumers seeking to make an ordinary household move and booked appointments with suspected unlicensed movers who solicited work with online listings, Hoffman said in a statement.

After the companies made appointments with undercover investigators and sent crews to a self-storage facility in Ledgewood, they were met by Consumer Affairs personnel, U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Investigators and a transportation compliance unit of the New Jersey State Police, Hoffman said.

All of the companies were written up for violating state law, a fine that carries a $2,500 penalty. Two of the companies face additional penalties of $25,000 from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for not having the proper permits to perform interstate moves, a federal violation, Hoffman said.

Under state law, all movers who operate within the state must be licensed by the Division of Consumer Affairs and must protect consumer's goods by maintaining cargo liability insurance, workers' compensation insurance, bodily injury insurance and property damage insurance. Additionally, the companies must maintain a legitimate business address in the state, register and insure each vehicle and provide consumers with a written estimate of the cost of the move.

Director of Consumer Affairs Eric Kanefsky said, "The goal of this undercover operation is to bring these moving companies into compliance with the law or keep them out of our state, to protect New Jersey's consumers and to ensure a competitive playing field for New Jersey's 290 duly licensed moving companies."

In 2013, the Division of Consumer Affairs received 89 formal consumer complaints about moving companies, according to Hoffman.

The fines issued to companies targeted during the November operation will be reduced to $1,250 for any company that applies for a license within 30 days, according to the state. Kanefsky noted that four of the companies have already submitted applications.

Hoffman said, "Horror stories about predatory movers are all too common. By its very nature, the moving industry touches the lives of consumer when they are vulnerable and when they must rely on strangers to transport their valued possessions. These situations create the potential for abuse. We are enforcing New Jersey's licensing laws in order to protect consumers and, just as importantly, to ensure a level playing field for New Jersey's many honest and licensed moving companies."